Recently, my computer locked up and went into “crazy” mode that prevented access to anything on my computer ~ all programs, documents, pictures ~ EVERYTHING! It would turn-on, mockingly. It felt like it was playing a game of keep-away. Remember when someone would steal your hat and hold it over your head so you couldn’t reach it? Or, perhaps throw it to someone else. I knew the information was there but did not have the skill to retrieve it. Then all of sudden I could hear all the people throughout my life saying, “What! You didn’t back-up your computer?” No, I didn’t, I am a fool ~ plain and simple, no way around it.
Ever since I started using computers for the bulk of my writing and communication, there was always a helpful soul that would remind me to ALWAYS back-up my work. Historically, I have been too lazy to heed their warnings and have lost precious moments (damn good writing, pictures, and videos) that I have never been able to get back. Perhaps, I unconsciously enjoy the reminder of life’s impermanence; more likely, I’m just plain lazy. Because backing up is a very easy task but like most things, easier to forget or put off.
Besides being lazy, I can pinpoint two events in my life that fostered my attitude towards backing-up. The first event that contributed to my downfall was working at a youth service organization where the IT person installed a back-up program; it backed-up work every 5 minutes. However, even with this safe guard, some amazing thoughtful passages were lost. But, for the most part the majority of my work was always saved. The second pitfall was the gift of a laptop to replace my PC. When my PC died, many files were retrieved but some weren’t (at least not yet as we are still working on it) like the video of Mathew’s first steps and a bunch of other first moments. You would have thought it was a good lesson for me ~ but NO. Prior to this gift, when I worked outside my home, I would copy all my work on a disc ~ instant backup. With the laptop, all my work was on the computer, which conveniently went wherever I wanted to do work. There was no pressing need to copy or backup my work. Therefore, I did not back up files, ever. A couple of years ago, Mike realized I had this problem and gave me an external hard drive for backing up. It was small, convenient and had a ton of storage space. It continued to have a ton of storage space, because I never used it to backup my computer, much to Mike’s dismay.
When my computer locked up, Mike was away and even with instructions over the phone, I could not get to my stuff. Therefore, I simply needed to wait a couple of days until he returned home. Those days gave me time to contemplate all the items that would be lost if my computer couldn’t be fixed. With the desire to save trees and not waste paper, almost all my documents are electronic. There is no longer a paper trail, which made the lost even greater than it was in 2010. All the documents, research, life events, and pictures I had accumulated since May of 2010 were on that computer. Some replaceable, some not, it felt like a fire destroying my home full of memories. It made me view my work and memories differently. Did I really need all these documents? Nope, but I really enjoy having them. Most documents made my work a lot easier; I am a big fan of cut-n-paste, I see no reason to reinvent the wheel.
Thankfully, when Mike came home, he was able to retrieve all my programs and files. He does not know what happened but at least my laptop appears to be in working order. And yes folks, the first thing I did when I got back on my computer was to back-up everything. So now, as long as the external hard drive works, I will have all my files from May 2010 until April 2014. I hope this will be a good lesson for me, but honestly, I really am very lazy.
Honestly, how often do you back-up your work? Am I the only one with this problem? Please share and I will continue to share.